


Dinner with the Potters

by NextGenerationFanatic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Cute wizarding photos, Established Relationship, F/M, Kind of canon compliant? But mostly just head canon, M/M, Post-Hogwarts, Total Fluff, very slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 07:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8240359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextGenerationFanatic/pseuds/NextGenerationFanatic
Summary: Albus is dreading having dinner with his parents, because he always feels overshadowed by his father and brother, but things turn out nicely after all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> N.B. Basically G but rated T because sex is mentioned once and very mild language

"Relax," said Scorpius, indicating to get off the North Circular. "Do it for your mum if nothing else." Albus nodded.  
"It's just..." he paused, realising he had nothing with which to finish that sentence. "...I don't know," he finished heavily. "Dad, I suppose."  
"But things are better nowadays," Scorpius reasoned.  
"They're still not good," Albus sighed. Scorpius pulled over.  
"Albus Potter," he said sternly, and Albus forced himself not to laugh. "You have told your father that you don't want to work at the Ministry, that you're attracted to guys, that we'd started dating before we'd even left Hogwarts, and that we were engaged three months later, yet you can't survive one dinner and an overnight stay?"  
"It's easy for you to say," said Albus crossly.  
"Yes, because telling my dad those things was so easy," Scorpius said sarcastically, checking his rear view mirror before pulling back onto the road.  
"Sorry," said Albus. "But no offence, but at least your dad doesn't really expect anything of you."  
"That's true," sighed Scorpius. "We both know how it feels to be famous for the wrong reasons, but you're right, my dad doesn't expect anything from me."  
"And James is no better," grumbled Albus. "I think Dad wishes James and I swapped looks, so that then I could be excused as the family black sheep."  
"I'm sure that's not true, Al," Scorpius said gently. "Your dad loves you, he just struggles to understand you. You need to put behind you anything he's done or said in the past, and try to see him as he is now - improving." Albus was silent, and Scorpius knew he'd made his point, and said nothing more.

When they arrived, Scorpius parked, and Albus went and knocked on the door while Scorpius fetched their cases. To his surprise, Lily answered it, and Albus smiled and hugged his sister.  
"How are you?" she asked, meaning it.  
"Don't really want to be here," he whispered. She nodded, understanding.  
"Me neither," she admitted. "I just broke up with Luke."  
"I'm so sorry," said Albus. "I thought that was going well."  
"It was," she replied bitterly. "Then it turned out the twat was seeing someone else behind my back."  
"Boys," Albus muttered, making her laugh.  
"Oi!" said a voice from behind him, and Lily, still laughing, pushed her brother out of the way and hugged Scorpius.  
"Come in, before Mum yells. Anyway, she's been on at me, saying I need to hex his teeth out when I get back to school." Albus chuckled. That was very like her.  
"Speaking of which, how come you're here? I thought you signed up to stay at Hogwarts?"  
"I told Neville that if he didn't let me come home for Christmas that I'd tell everyone that he once magicked his own ears onto a cactus." Albus laughed out loud.  
"Do you ever wonder if you're in the wrong House?"  
"Al!" came an excited voice from behind Lily. His mother rushed towards him and hugged him. He hugged her back, smiling.  
"Hi, Mum. It's good to see you." She patted him fondly on the cheek before wrapping his boyfriend in a tight hug.  
"Is Dad here?" Albus asked. Ginny frowned.  
"He's gone out with Ron, apparently there's a new wizarding pub open down the road. He promised he'd be back in time for dinner."  
"And James?" Ginny's scowl deepened.  
"Not coming. Says it's his four-month anniversary with Steph, or something. Still, you, my favourite daughter and my favourite future son-in-law are here, so I'm content. Come through to the kitchen." 

They followed her through to a warm, bright room decorated with photographs of Albus and his family over the years. Scorpius had not visited for some time, and he'd never seen the photographs. He gazed at one of the three young Potters the year James started at Hogwarts, watching James and Lily wave at him from the frames whilst Albus hid shyly behind his brother. He glanced at the one next to it; Albus alone was in it, and he looked about twelve. He was reading, and when he noticed that his picture was being observed, he rolled his eyes, picked up something shiny and threw it over himself, vanishing from sight. Scorpius laughed quietly, thinking how very 'Albus' that was.

In the one above it, Albus was about three, and an eleven-year-old Teddy Lupin was bouncing him on his knee and changing his hair colour, making him laugh. As Scorpius watched, Albus reached up to grab Teddy's hair, overbalanced and landed on the floor with a thump. Scorpius winced but chuckled when he saw Albus start throwing a tantrum and the look of horror on Teddy's face as he bent down to pick him up. The one closest to it on the adjoining wall depicted Albus, Lily, Rose and Hugo, aged about two and four, all fast asleep on a sofa, and the one below that showed Albus and Rose, both nine, playing Exploding Snap.

He was in some of the later ones, Scorpius noticed. The first one Scorpius remembered well; it was the first summer after they'd started at Hogwarts. Albus had invited him to stay, and on his first day there he had been so nervous that he dropped a plate and cried. This had been (unfortunately) randomly photographed as Ginny had wanted a photo of him and Albus together. Scorpius felt embarrassed as he watched his twelve-year-old self put his head in his hands, before Ginny appeared and fixed the plate for him.

He glanced at one of him and Albus sitting together on the edge of a pier when they were in fourth year and grinned. That had been taken a few hours after they'd started going out, but he enjoyed remembering how they'd struggled to keep it a secret. They'd told Lily first, who'd been delighted that she finally had a sibling she could talk about boys with. Next Albus had told Ginny, who'd hugged him and said she didn't care if he wanted to date a troll, she'd still love him. Albus had very swiftly reassured her that he was not about to date a troll.

Scorpius saw another, taken the year before last, where they were laughing and blowing party horns in each other's faces, and smirked, remembering that about an hour afterwards was the first time they'd had sex. He did not care to imagine their fathers' reaction if he discovered that information..!

And then the most recent one, taken three months ago, the two of them sitting on a bench in the Peak District, overlooking the valley below the horizon stretched out in front of them, with Albus resting his head on Scorpius' shoulder, about six hours before Albus had proposed.  
"Scorpius?"  
"Hm?" Scorpius was shaken out of his recollections by Lily poking him in the side.  
"Tea?"  
"Oh, er, yes please."  
"No, Lily," Ginny said sharply. "Let Albus do that, you finish your Charms homework." Lily scowled in a way that so resembled her mother and grandmother that Scorpius had to stifle a laugh as she stomped back to the kitchen table. Albus absently pointed his wand at the kettle before putting teabags into mugs.  
"Something wrong, dear?" his mother asked him.  
"Don't worry, just Dad stuff," he shrugged. She nodded, smiling slightly. At that moment the front door opened and closed.  
Albus visibly tensed, and a moment later Harry appeared at the kitchen door.  
"Hi Al," he smiled. "Scorpius," he nodded. Albus hugged him at Ginny's nudge and Harry shook Scorpius' hand. "How's your flat coming along?"  
"Slowly," Albus said. "We can't use magic because its previous owner keeps coming back to admire our handiwork, so if it's all done in a day, he'll ask questions."  
"You could use a Confundus Charm, surely?" Lily asked.  
"It's not recommended," said Harry slowly, "if it can be avoided, that is." He sank into a chair by the stove. "Good pub, by the way, Gin," he said, yawning and unbuttoning his waistcoat.  
"I should hope so, to risk missing our family dinner," she said drily. Harry looked slightly abashed.  
"I was always going to be back in time! Speaking of a family dinner, where's Jamie?"  
"Not coming," Ginny sighed. Harry looked wounded, and Albus shot Scorpius a look.  
"It's that girlfriend of his, isn't it?"  
"Well Dad, the four-month is an important anniversary," Lily said in mock seriousness. Albus expected Ginny to comment, but she didn't even bat an eyelid.  
"Well, good on him," said Harry. Albus could hardly believe what he was hearing. His dad couldn't be serious, surely? "Moving onto a slightly more stable relationship, how are wedding plans going, boys?" Albus softened; he had been joking. He felt a pang of guilt for accusing him too quickly.  
"Quite well, thanks," said Scorpius, catching Albus' eye.  
"Dean's making us some invitation drafts," Albus piped up.  
"Now, if I may ask," Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. "Who gets to make the father of the bride's speech, me or Draco?"  
"Dad!!" Lily shouted, mortified on Albus' behalf, but Scorpius was laughing.  
"My dad, if he gets his way, but you're welcome to fight it out!"  
"What do you think, Albus?" Harry asked, semi-seriously, as Ginny shook her head in disbelief.  
"I don't care who makes the speech as long as this moment is never spoken of again," he retorted.  
"Oh, I'll let him do it then," Harry said, almost to himself. "I'll have quite enough emotion on my hands as it is, what with it being the first of my kids to get married." Albus was slightly stunned. Maybe this dinner wouldn't be too bad after all.


End file.
